Radishes Tips and Tricks
Radish Growing and Harvesting Tips
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Radishes have a wide range of characteristics - spicy to mild, round or oblong, big or small, reddish-purple to rosy pink, black, pure white or even green. This guide describes many varieties. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/radish/types-of-radishes.htm
Radishes are a cool season crop. Direct sow the seed in garden beds in the Fall and/or early Spring in a sunny location, according to the packet directions. |
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The toilet paper method is described here, also a great tip for covering seeds to protect from birds For more tips for planting small seeds see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9ZmyqmgSB4.
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Most radishes are planted in rows ½” deep and a couple inches apart. Since the seeds are quite small and hard to see on the soil, I like to use the toilet paper planting method (you’ll definitely get some giggles!) so students can see where the seeds fall and use popsicle sticks to space them properly for good germination.
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Watering will affect the flavor of radishes - keeping the soil moist during growth will produce the most flavorful radish with less spiciness. Less water often results in a spicier, tougher radish.
Radishes germinate in 4-10 days and are ready to harvest in 20-50 days depending on variety. Let some radishes go to seed in your garden - birds will flock to the dried seed pods on the tall stems and students can harvest seed pods once mature to save for the next planting - making a tangible lesson about the life cycle and ecosystems.
They also make great sprouts grown in seed trays in a sunny classroom window. Use a spray bottle to dampen the soil every day or two. When the sprouts are an inch tall, simply clip their stems and have a taste!
Radishes germinate in 4-10 days and are ready to harvest in 20-50 days depending on variety. Let some radishes go to seed in your garden - birds will flock to the dried seed pods on the tall stems and students can harvest seed pods once mature to save for the next planting - making a tangible lesson about the life cycle and ecosystems.
They also make great sprouts grown in seed trays in a sunny classroom window. Use a spray bottle to dampen the soil every day or two. When the sprouts are an inch tall, simply clip their stems and have a taste!
Tasting Tips
Tasting Tips
It’s a lot of fun for students to experience eating radishes straight from the soil (washed of course) and sprinkled with a little salt. Follow up with a second planting! For a more indepth cooking lesson with 3rd grade and up, make this Citrus and Radish salad.
Kitchen Supplies
Large salad bowl and tossing utensils
Paring knives (1 per student)
Cutting mats or boards (1 per 2 students)
Large metal spoon for scooping out avocado
Tablespoon for measuring oil
Small plates (compostable if paper) and forks
Napkins
Planning
It’s a lot of fun for students to experience eating radishes straight from the soil (washed of course) and sprinkled with a little salt. Follow up with a second planting! For a more indepth cooking lesson with 3rd grade and up, make this Citrus and Radish salad.
Kitchen Supplies
Large salad bowl and tossing utensils
Paring knives (1 per student)
Cutting mats or boards (1 per 2 students)
Large metal spoon for scooping out avocado
Tablespoon for measuring oil
Small plates (compostable if paper) and forks
Napkins
Planning
- Adjust ingredients for class size and plan ahead how to divide preparation tasks among students if cooking together is allowed, following school guidelines for safe food preparation and Covid protocols.
- Before beginning activity: Students wash and dry hands, and sit with hands folded (this helps them keep their hands off their face as they await instruction).
- Hand out paring knives just before giving instruction/reviewing of knife safety and handling procedures.
tasting troubleshooting
- Use the “Three Nibble Rule”: it takes three nibbles to wake up our taste buds - nibble, chew, swallow, three times.
- Ask students to think about how the flavors change between the first and third nibble.
- Remind them they are Food Scientists!
Often students will discover they like a food that they used to dislike. This happens especially between 4th and 5th grade as children enter the pre-teen years.
Some students may still refuse to taste, so encourage them to use other senses - smell or lick the fruit if they will not take a bite. Be informative without drawing a lot of attention to the resistant student. Engaging with their peers often provides incentive to try a new food.
NUTRITION EDUCATION & COOKING SKILL CONNECTIONS
- Cooking skills focus: how to wash vegetables, cutting vegetables with paring knives, how to toss a salad.
- Vocabulary: toss, variety (in a family of vegetables), pith, tap root, root vegetable, pit, segment, fiber.
- Recipe reading and what to look for: Ingredients, Instructions, Servings.
- Practical Math: use the citrus to teach about segments and beginning fractions!
- Show students nutrition facts on the main ingredients (radish, citrus, arugula), focus on vitamin C and fiber and how they contribute to our health (fight disease, healthy gums, promote good digestion, etc)
- Use pictures to identify a variety of root vegetables or citrus (choose one category). Link to CDE’s Fruit & Vegetable Photo cards https://cdep.klas.com/product/001650/. Have students identify the top nutrients in them to see if there are common nutrients in these types of foods.